Printed photograph or digital image?
Confirm your entry route before preparing a visa photo. The central Russian MFA regular-visa guidance gives a 3.5 × 4.5 cm (35 × 45 mm) photograph size. The unified e-visa instruction instead asks for a JPEG face image with a 35:45 width-to-height ratio. Centimetres for a physical photograph and proportions for a digital image are different instructions. Neither statement determines that you need a visa.
On this page
- Printed photograph or digital image?
- Which route does this cover?
- How this guide is reviewed
- Prepare the photo for the right application
- Official sources
- Follow the official route
- Continue with the correct route
- Guide directory and visa routes
- Related preparation guides
- Questions answered here
- More route guidance
Which route does this cover?
This guide compares photo preparation for a regular visa through a Russian consulate with the separate unified e-visa digital-image task. It is not a personal eligibility decision or a complete post-specific checklist. A visa-free or other route may have different tasks. Start with the visa overview if you have not established your route.
How this guide is reviewed
Russian Visa Guide is an independent information portal. Codex performs owner-delegated factual review against official sources; this is not independent third-party or human approval. The official source text was checked 2 October 2026. Check the current official application instructions for your own route before you submit.
Prepare the photo for the right application
Regular visa. The central MFA page gives a physical size of 3.5 × 4.5 cm. Check the competent consulate's current instructions for your purpose and application location. The MFA's general document section lists one photograph, while several visa-category sections list two; this page therefore does not prescribe a universal quantity. Read the central MFA guidance.
Unified e-visa. The official application instruction asks for a JPEG digital face photo at 35:45 proportions. That is an aspect ratio, not a 35-by-45-pixel resolution. See the detailed digital photo checklist and fictional illustrative example for its separate framing and image rules, then use the official portal. The public instruction reviewed here does not establish a minimum pixel count, DPI or file-size cap; follow any current uploader instruction instead. Read the official e-visa instruction.
If the instructions conflict. Ask the competent official application channel. This guide cannot guarantee acceptance of a photograph, visa issuance or entry.
Is a 35 × 45 mm print the same as a 35 × 45 pixel file? No. The printed size is a physical measurement. The e-visa instruction describes width-to-height proportions, not a 35-by-45-pixel resolution. Use the digital checklist for an e-visa; confirm printed-photo quantity and local specifications with the receiving consulate. Checked 13 October 2026. MFA printed-photo guidance · E-visa photo instructions
Official sources
Follow the official route
Questions answered here
Russia visa photo requirements
Russia visa photo size
For the detailed digital checklist, use the e-visa photo requirements page.